University of Nebraska President Hank Bounds has indefinitely paused the chancellor search at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and appointed University of Nebraska Medical Center Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., to lead both the UNO and UNMC campuses on an interim basis. The appointment will deepen collaboration between NU’s Omaha-based institutions and ensure steady leadership at a time when both are poised to grow their impact in Nebraska and beyond.

Dr. Gold, the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s chancellor since early 2014, will add leadership of UNO to his responsibilities on May 8, pending approval by the Board of Regents at its June meeting. Dr. Gold succeeds current Chancellor John Christensen, who last fall announced his decision to step down after more than a decade of leadership at UNO.

UNO is part of the four-campus University of Nebraska system and the state’s premier metropolitan university. Chancellor Gold will lead an institution that has seen significant growth in student enrollment, diversity, research activity, private philanthropy and its campus footprint.

Dr. Gold’s appointment follows a national search that began in November when President Bounds named a 15-member search advisory committee and hosted a series of stakeholder listening sessions to gather input on the qualities the university should seek in the next chancellor.